Catch me when I fall
by justpink
Summary: AU. When she loses her first love, Rukia must face the painful road of moving on. When she stumbles, she needs someone to catch her...Ichigo/Rukia/Ulquiorra
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of the characters.

Many thanks to narcotic_lullaby!!!

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"**It's so early in the morning, and I already hear whispers about him" I murmured to myself, "News travels like fire in this place…" **

**I dragged my tiny lead-filled legs to my next class, hearing everyone's whispers along the way.**

"**Hey, isn't that the girl?" one girl said**

"**Yeah" another girl said.**

"**Don't you feel sorry for her?" she asked, probably the same girl.**

"**Yeah, poor girl" she answered**

"**Shhh…..She can hear you." he answered**

**I reluctantly opened the door to my class and like I expected, everybody stared at me. Almost immediately, a tall, orange-haired girl appeared in front of me. **

"**Kuchiki-san, are you okay?" Inoue asked.**

**I paused, **_***Pity* **_**I thought, **_***It's all over her face.***_

**I smiled sadly and answered her, "Yeah, I'm fine Inoue, thanks." **

**I passed her before she could open her big mouth again. I passed through a group of girls and sat down on my chair, all the way to the last row, for which I am thankful for. Next to my seat was Ulquiorra Schiffer, he was the only one who wasn't talking. I looked at him, he was looking outside the window as if he was looking for something. Suddenly, the door opened, the teacher came in.**

"**Good morning class," she said, "As you've all heard Kurosaki passed away last night due to a car accident."**

**She continued and looked at me, giving me a sympathetic look, "I give you my sincere apologies, Kuchiki."**

**I stared at my hands, feeling numb instead of the usual pain I was used to. **

"_**Is that the only word I'm going to hear today? 'Sorry'?."**_

**The class started, I was supposed to be paying attention, but my eyes keeps on landing on Ichigo's desk, two seats away from me. I noticed their were different flowers on his desk: Roses, Lilies, Daffodils…. I felt myself softening a little, as I remembered how he was allergic to daffodils. How can suck pretty flowers be so depressing? The rest of the class passed by in a blur. I wasn't really conscious of the going-ons until the teacher's voice snapped me back to her attention.**

"**Today's after school duty would be Schiffer and Kuchiki, you may now leave." she said walking out. **

**I sighed and turned to Ulquiorra, he was still staring out the window. I was about to start the task, which is cleaning the board and stapling papers together, when his voice stopped me.**

"**You don't have to do the task." he said in a monotone voice.**

**I furrowed my brows, **_**"Is it because of pity too??"**_

**As if he read my mind, he turned to look at me, his face blank and his green eyes embedded into me.**

"**It's not because of pity, it's simply because I can't stand to work with someone." he said looking back to stare at the window again.**

**I glared at him, instead of saying it to myself, I said it out loud,**

"**What the hell is that supposed to mean?!"**

**Without looking at me he said, "Is this how a person acts when they're mourning over someone's death?."**

**His hand was on his chin, not caring if he's hurting people's feelings. I clenched my fist and walked up to him and said,**

"**What do you know? Your just someone who would never understand my situation."**

**I wanted to say more, I wanted to scream my words at his face, I want him to understand the pain I'm going through, instead I walked away and started on my first task. For the past 2 hours we said nothing to each other, he did his task and I did mine. The only sound came from the staplers, which died out after I was done with the task. I left without another word.**

**After that we said nothing to each other and left. Different shades of red, orange, and yellow clashed with each other as I walk home. I still remember that incident so clearly…**

_***Flashback***_

_**It was such a beautiful night, nice and cold. I looked up to see the stars, they were so bright. It feels all perfect, the weather, the walk, and the guy next to me. I smiled despite of myself.**_

"_**Hey Rukia! Are you listening to me?!" he said.**_

_**I looked at him, smiling, and said, "Of course, my lovely strawberry**__."_

_Noticing my sarcasm, Ichigo grabbed my head and lowered his face and said,_

"_Then repeat what I just said, my __**smart midget**__."_

_Annoyed, I kicked him on his shin._

"_That hurt!" he groaned, grabbing his shin in pain._

"_As far as __**I'm **__concerned I'm one of the top students in our school" I said to him, smiling evilly. "So don't __**you**__ dare comment on my height again!, my retarded friend. _

_Still in pain he glared at me and I started laughing._

"_You should see your face right now!"_

_I took out my phone to take a picture, but he already got up, grabbed my phone and started running._

"_Hey! That phone cost more than your life!" I screamed, running after him. "My brother gave it specially to me!"_

_He turned and smiled._

"_Huh? I see, so Byakuya could be soft sometimes."_

_I took off my shoe to throw it at him, but he caught it with his other hand._

"_Ichigo! Stop playing around!" I said out of breath._

_He was already across the park and into the empty, icy road. I looked down and noticed my white sock was covered with grass stains._

"_Geez, this bastard plays too much" I muttered._

_I yelled again, "Ichigo, I'm serious! Give it back, so we could watch the movie already!."_

_He laughed softly, then smiled and said, _

"_Okay, okay I'll be right th-" _

_He started to walk, but a bright light caused my eyes to widen._

"_Ichigo!" I screamed my heart out._

_A car was driving so fast it that hit him with full force and he flew back and landed as a crumpled, bloody mass several feet away. I started to run as fast as I can, not caring about who hit him. It felt like world was suddenly ending, just in those few, short seconds. I looked down at Ichigo, he was covered with blood. Tears started to form on my eyes. _

"_Ichi…go…" I trembled as I saw him. _

_Tears were now rolling down on my cheeks, I kneeled beside him and grabbed his hand and said,_

"_S-someone! Call an ambulance!"_

_I wiped my tears and tightened my grip on his hand._

"_Ru…kia…" he said as his breath was growing weaker every minute._

_I looked at him again, he looked so pale, his orange hair brighter than ever. My heart was hurting so much…I can't…breathe…_

"_Stop crying…it's not like…" he gasped in pain, "I'm already…dead."_

"_Don't say that! You said we were going to that festival, remember? You said you were going to tell me something important, we were going with our friends, remember?." I said desperately._

_He looked so fragile…_

"_I'm…sorry." he smiled and his eyes were closing so slowly._

_His hand dropped. _

_It hurts…_

_It hurts, Ichigo…_

_It feels like the world stopped right then._

_*End of flashback*_

I got home feeling the pain all over again.

"I'm home" I said.

"Ah…Welcome back, Rukia." my brother said appearing out of the kitchen.

This house was usually so quiet, ever since my parents died. One person always brought life in this house.

"Dinner will be ready in half an hour." my brother said.

"Okay, thanks, brother." I forced a cheery voice.

I walked up stairs to my room. I wanted to be alone. I collapsed on my bed, I looked at Kon, the tiger plushy that Ichigo gave me. I smiled reminiscing about the past, then suddenly I felt a strange aura. I quickly got up and my eyes widened. I blinked a few times not believing it.

"How long are you going to stare at me?" the orange-aired guy said.

"I-Ichigo?"

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**A/N: My first fanfic, so give me your honest opinion!**


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach

Many thanks again to narcotic-lullaby and also thank you so much for the reviews!! 3

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"I-Ichigo?" I said blinking a few times.

He smiled faintly, "Yeah, it's me"

His voice…it was so soothing. I smiled, feeling tears form in my eyes. I could feel my emotions rushing out all at once. I could feel it; doubt, surprise, sadness, but most of all happiness. I started running towards him feeling so happy, preparing to give him a big hug. But instead I clashed into my desk. Making a loud _THUD_! My pens and pencils started rolling down, falling on the floor. My knees were on the ground as I held unto my chair for support.

*_What…?*_ I thought.

"Rukia," I heard my big brother say from downstairs, "Is everything all right up there?"

"Y-Yeah!" I said forcing out a normal voice.

I looked back and I could feel my eyes widened. He was still there, his back turned to me.

_*That's weird, I can see you, but I can't…hold you*_ I thought sadly.

"I-Ichigo…" I managed to choke out as I started to get up.

He turned slowly to me, as if he doesn't want to see my expression. He looked at me his face was so….blank.

"How have you been?" he asked after a long silence.

Still in shocked I said, "I'm fine."

I smiled trying to soften the atmosphere, his head was bowed down in sadness.

"I missed you…" he said softly, then he looked up at me. Then his face suddenly turned into disgust.

"W-What the heck is up with your face?" he said, annoyingly.

I turned and looked in the mirror, my face was scrunched up as I tried to hold in my tears, but they were slowly falling, and snot was slowly coming out of my nose. Embarrassed, I wiped my face and nose and said angrily,

"What the heck?! Is that a way for you to cheer someone up?!"

I could hear a noise come out from him, first it sounded like a snort, then he started laughing, holding his stomach. Ah…that's the expression I wanted to see.

_*I missed you too* _I thought, then realizing that my brother might hear him, I hissed quietly,

"Shhh….be quiet! Brother might hear you!"

He stopped laughing and started to regain his posture. He smiled sadly and said,

"Don't worry, he can't see me nor will he able to hear me."

He might have noticed my reaction because he said, "Rukia, I'm a…ghost?"

It came out as a question. I let it all sink in.

_*A ghost?*_ I repeated in my head, _*That's right…the accident*_

That's when I noticed he had this glowing haze surrounding him.

"Oh…"I said out loud.

He stepped closer to me, his hand slowly going up to touch my face, instead of touching my face it went through. It felt like a wind passed by out of nowhere. He looked so disappointed and so did I. I tried to cheer him up.

"B-But isn't this great? At least I could see you." I said smiling, widely.

"Yeah," he said softening up, "you're right…"

I walked to my bed and sat down. I looked at him and asked,

"What are you doing here?"

He furrowed his brows.

"What? You don't want me here?" he asked jokingly.

"It's not like that," I sighed and continued, " I mean, how did you get back…here?"

He paused for a second.

"I don't know, all I remember was waking up in the middle of the street," he said, " I tried talking to people, but they couldn't _**hear **_or _**see **_me."

I listened to him intensely, shivering from the thought that people couldn't hear or see him.

He continued, "So I tried coming over your house, that's when I noticed that when your eyes widened, you could see me."

I nodded knowingly.

"Maybe," I said, thinking hard, " you have some unfinished business or something, or you need to do something?" I cocked my head to the side.

He thought for a moment then looked at me.

"Maybe…" was all he said.

All night long we talked. We talked about the past, what was going on right now, and what happened after the accident. I didn't even notice that I was starting to fall asleep. All I remember was him saying,

"Good night…"

*******Next morning*******

I got up yawning, realizing where I was, my eyes widened.

_*Was it…a dream?*_ I thought.

Feeling depressed all over again, I got up and prepared to go to school.

_*Huh.*_ I thought, looking around, walking to my class, _*Not much people are staring at me, must be a new gossip going around…*_

I opened the door to my class. Unfortunately, an orange-haired girl came to my view.

"Good morning!, Kuchiki-san~." she said in a cheery, squeaky voice.

I gripped into my bag as I felt my left eye twitch a bit.

I smiled to her and said, "Yeah. Good morning…"

She blinked at me, with that usual dumb-founded face of hers. I quickly passed through her again. I sat down at my chair and looked at Ulquiorra. He was looking at the window, his back turned to me. Then all of a sudden I remembered what happened yesterday, feeling the anger wash over me all over again, but it went away as the teacher came in. Like yesterday, class pass by like a blur, but then suddenly an orange spiky hair started appearing in the middle of my desk. I screamed, getting up from my chair. The teacher looked at me, bewildered and said,

"Kuchiki, what's wrong?"

I was trying to regain my composure, breathing, and my heart from beating.

"U-Uhh…, n-nothing, just a bug," I said, shakily, "An orange bug."

I saw everyone look at me, even Ulquiorra was looking at me. I bowed, feeling my face burn, and said,

"Sorry."

I saw Ichigo laughing, covering his mouth.

_*As I thought, it wasn't a dream*_

I glared at him and gave him a look saying _"Go away!" _He nodded , laughing, and began to disappear. I felt someone looking at me, so I turned and caught Ulquiorra staring at me. Our eyes locked for 3 seconds, then I looked away. He has suck an intense gaze. Remembering what Ichigo did, I thought,

_*I'm going to kill that bastard later*_

Everybody was preparing to leave for the next class, which is gym. I started to pack my stuff and realized me and Ulquiorra were alone. He was looking out the window again.

_*Hmm…* _I thought, _*One day I'm going to ask him why he keeps looking out the window.*_

He probably heard me stop packing because he said,

"I'm sorry…"

My eyes widened, I was taken back from what he said.

"H-Huh?" I said, dumbly.

He finally turned to look at me and said,

"Don't make me repeat myself, woman."

I just nodded, still surprised from what he said. I started walking and turned to him and said,

"Okay."

I opened the door to leave and turned to him again and said,

"Oh, and by the way, my name is Rukia."

Then I left, not seeing his expression.

Everyone was wearing gym clothes, which is a white shirt and red shorts, that rise above the knee. I looked around, everybody was so active today. A lot of the students were actually playing volleyball and running around and I didn't notice them. I looked around again and remembered Ichigo used to be so hyper, always running around and making jokes. I was about to smile, when I heard my name.

"Kuchiki! Watch out!"

I turned to look, but it was suddenly blocked by a ball heading towards me. I didn't have the time to react, so I took it. It hit me right in the face.

_*Ouch* _I thought.

The impact was so hard that I fell backwards. I opened my eyes grudgingly as I saw my classmates surround me. My gym teacher was next to me saying some stuff to the students. I could hear them,

"Oh my god, is she okay?" I heard one girl say.

"Is she dead?" a deep voice said.

"No!, you idiot!" the girl said, hearing a slap.

"Orihime, I think you threw it too hard." a girl said.

"I-I'm sorry," Inoue said, nervously, "Kuchiki-san, are you okay?"

I got up quickly, feeling the blood rush through my head. Suddenly, I felt warm liquid fall out of my nose. I touched it and looked down at my hand.

_*Blood* _I thought.

The gym teacher scolded me, " See Kuchiki?! That's why you have to pay attention!"

He looked around, "Schiffer, come over here!" he called.

That's the first time I noticed him in gym class.

"Take her to the infirmary." he commanded.

Ulquiorra walked slowly towards me and helped me get up.

_*What…?* _I thought and I felt myself blush a little.

Then suddenly Inoue came to my view and said,

"M-Maybe I should take her."

I looked up at Ulquiorra nervously, his face blank while looking at Inoue, and said,

"Maybe that's a good id-"

I was cut off by the teacher's whistle.

"Everyone, back to volleyball!" he yelled and looked at Inoue, "Including you, Inoue!"

I looked at Inoue, seeing a flicker of annoyance out of her face for a second, then she left grudgingly. The walk to the infirmary was so quiet, the atmosphere was so awkward. I tried to think of a conversation, but I couldn't bring myself to talk. He opened the door, no one was there. Maybe the nurse was out for a break. He helped me walked and eased me to a bed to sit down. Finally breaking the silence, I asked him, holding my nose,

"W-What are you doing?"

He was looking for something, not quite sure what he was looking for. Finally, he took something out of a counter, a cloth. He placed it under my nose and he grabbed my hand placed it where his hand was, so I could hold it.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" he asked.

_*He was acting so nice,*_ I thought, _*So out of character…*_

He caught me looking at him and said,

"Do you love looking at my face that much?"

I blushed bright red and more blood came out my nose, I pressed the cloth harder to me my nose. I stuttered and said,

"N-No!, W-Who would want to look are your face?!"

I looked away, then I heard something from him. I looked back at him and saw him chuckling. Chuckling! His hand was covering his mouth in an elegant way. His face looked so….peaceful looking, he looked so…cute? I turned redder and he said, smiling a little,

"I was only kidding."

I looked away from him, embarrassed and stuttered,

"W-Whatever!"

Then suddenly an orange spiky hair started forming in the middle of the bed. I screamed and jumped up from the bed. I saw Ichigo's face, he looked…annoyed. I turned to look at Ulquiorra, his face blank again, but this time he looked pissed. I raised my brows and looked down to what I was stepping on.

_*Uh-Oh…* _I thought.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.**

**Sorry, it took so long to write this chapter, I was having a writer's block. Sorry, if this chapter is too short.**

**Also, Thank you very much for the reviews!! Also, many thanks to narcotic-lullaby!**

_eternalbright_**: You have to wait, hehe….**

* * *

_*Oh…my…god…* _I thought, feeling so nervous on what is about to happen.

I was stepping on his foot and my bloody hands stained his crisp white uniform shirt were on his white shirt. I slowly raised my head to look at his face.

_*Eeeee…!* _I thought, feeling suddenly scared.

He was giving me a glare or was it a death stare? I feel a dark aura forming above him.

"I-I'm s-sorry!" I stuttered, nervously.

Then I looked at the bed where Ichigo's head was. He was still there, his face still looked annoyed.

_*Huh?* _I thought, raising my brows.

He narrowed his eyes at me, slowly disappearing, and said,

"I'll see you later at your house."

I reached out my hand for him.

_*W-wait!*_ I thought, desperately.

I grasped my head, thinking,

_*What the heck is going on today?!?*_

"What are you doing?" a sad, serious voice said, popping out of nowhere.

I turned my head to see who it was. I bowed my head in despair.

_*The hell…* _

It was Inoue…

_*Can it get more worse? What the heck is she doing here?!*_

I didn't notice I was sitting on Ulquiorra's lap. I blushed bright red, feeling dizzy. I quickly got up, feeling nauseous.

"U-Ummm…..nothing" I said, nervously.

_*Why the hell am I getting nervous for?!*_

I started walking towards the bed, before I faint.

"What do you mean 'Nothing'?" she said, angrily.

I was surprised; I haven't seen her act all angry before. Especially since there's no reason to.

_*Oh my geeze, what the heck is her problem?*_

I breath through my nose and exhaled from my mouth, and said,

"Look, there was a bug, I got scared and accidentally fell on Schiffer."

I turned and looked at her, she looked so pissed.

"Accidentally?! It didn't look like it." she pointed out.

"Why do I have to explain myself to you?" I said thinking out loud, shaking my head.

She walked closer to me and pointed her finger at me. I feel my eyes narrow.

"Just because your boyfriend died doesn't mean you have to hit on the next hottest guy!" she hissed.

I narrowed my eyes further, clenching my fist, and said,

"Don't you dare involve Ichigo!"

I stepped closer to her and she crossed her arms, raising one eye brow.

"Oh yeah?" she said, sarcastically.

I clenched my fist tighter, preparing to launch my fist at her face, when a voice stopped me.

"Stop." Ulquiorra said, standing up, and grabbed my hand.

I forgot he was even in the room.

"You don't have to defend her, Schiffer-kun." she said, suddenly changing her attitude.

He glared at her and said,

"Look, woman, it's none of your business, so get the hell out of here."

My eyes widened and looked at Inoue, her eyes widening, tears forming in her eyes. I actually felt sorry for despite her rude remarks. I felt Ulquiorra's hand remove from my fist.

"L-Look, Inoue, nothing happened so you don't have to worry nor cry" I reassured her.

The suddenly I hear two girls calling her,

"Inoue, come on!" the girl said.

"Hurry up, Orihime! I'm tired of waiting for you." another girl said, sighing out loud.

She quickly wiped her tears and said,

"Okay."

She walked away towards her friends. Then I looked at Ulquiorra and he sighed, tiredly. I waited for their footsteps to disappear.

"Weren't you too harsh?" I said, walking towards the sink.

"Harsh? That was harsh? After what she said to you, that must have hurt you ten times more than what I said to her." he pointed out, sitting back down.

I flinched to what he said.

"It didn't hurt…I was just mad because she involved Ichigo" I said, focusing on washing the blood off my hands.

He was quiet for a moment, I could feel his eyes staring in my back as I wiped my hands on the cloth. I turned around and looked at his shirt. I scrunched my nose and said, shyly,

"Sorry about that."

He looked down at his shirt, disgusted, and said,

"I have to burn this shirt."

I narrowed my eyes and crossed my arms.

"You make it sound like I have a disease!" I hissed, angrily.

He smiled, that rare smile of his. I blushed, walking towards the door.

_*Why the hell am I blushing?*_

He got up and said,

"I'll walk you home."

I stopped and turned to him and said, mockingly,

"No, thank you, I don't want to waste your precious time."

He narrowed his eyes and smirked.

"Heh.. Where did that attitude come from? Here I am worried about a ball coming towards you again and you give me that kind of attitude?" he said, darkly.

"D-Do whatever you want!" I yelled, walking away fast.

I dressed slowly, putting my bloody shirt inside my bag and walked out towards the from gate. I saw him casually leaning back, dressed back in his school uniform, waiting.

"Is this really necessary?" I said, walking past him.

I hear him following me and said,

"Unfortunately, yes"

_*Since when was he a gentleman?* _I thought, getting annoyed.

I could hear the rhythm of our footsteps, I looked to my right, the sun setting slowly. I asked without looking back,

"So…are you guys an item or something?"

He stopped walking and so did I. I turned to look at him.

"Who?" he asked, blankly.

"You and Inoue, I mean." I said.

He suddenly laughed, softening his stoic expression.

_*He looks much better that way*_

"W-What's so funny?" I asked.

"You're so funny," he said, laughing a little, "What makes you think that?"

"Cause, um, she got jealous" I said, walking straight ahead.

"Oh…For some reason all of the girls in our school are like that." he said, casually.

"Then don't you have a girlfriend? Cause it looks like a lot of girls like you." I said, curiously.

I was walking a little bit faster now, as he answered, mockingly,

"You interested?"

"Who would?! I just wanted to start a conversation." I yelled, a little bit defensive.

"Ahaa….no need to be guilty."

_*I hate him.*_

I could tell he was loving this conversation.

"Just answer then…" I sighed, tired of him making fun of me.

"No, I don't have one, they'll just be in the way, other than that there's no interesting girls in this school." he said.

_*Yes!, We're almost there!*_ I thought, happily.

"Oh…really?" I said, stopping in front of my house. "Well, thanks for walking me home, Schiffer."

I was opening the front gate as he said,

" No need to be formal, you can call me Ulquiorra." he said, walking away.

"Okay, bye…Ulquiorra" I said, awkwardly.

"There you go," he said, far away now, " See you later…Rukia"

I stared at him, feeling myself blush when he said my name, I waited for his figure to disappear. I walked inside the house hearing the sound of the T.V. I saw my brother sitting on the couch.

"Welcome home," he said, distracted.

"Yeah, I'm home" I said as I walked up to my room.

I dropped my backpack and saw Ichigo sitting down on my bed. I sighed,

_*This is going to be a long conversation…*_


	4. Chapter 4

**Again Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach!**

**Hello! I know, I update slow, but it's worth it? XD**

**Thanks again for the reviews!!!!!!**

**Also, thanks to narcotic-lullaby for the support!!**

* * *

Ichigo was sitting down on my bed, looking blankly at me. I quickly got my computer chair and sat down. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and started,

"Ichi-"

"Ruki-"

I opened my eyes and looked at him and he looked at me. I blinked a few times then we both started laughing. Looking at Ichigo's face, it made me laugh even more. He always had this weird expression every time he laughed.

*_Ah, the awkward mood is finally broken.*_ I thought.

We finally stopped laughing. Then I asked,

"Why did you leave?"

He looked up and gave me a sad grin.

"Haha…I guess I didn't want to ruin to mood?" he suggested.

I flinched to what he said and furrowed my brows.

"What mood? There was no mood." I said.

He still had the sad grin on as he said,

"Well, maybe I'm jealous of Ulquiorra?"

This time I got up and stepped closer to him.

"What's their to be jealous of?" I asked.

"He can touch you and protect you" he said.

"So? That doesn't matter just beca-" he cut me off.

"And he's _alive"_

I looked at him, pain appearing in his pale face. I looked away, half mad, half sad.

"It doesn't change the fact that I still have feeling for you." I whispered.

Then I heard him laugh and I looked at him, confused.

"Haha…maybe you're right and besides I'm the only guy who fell for you, who else would look at you like that?" he said, teasingly.

"What the heck?! At least your lucky someone actually fell for _you_!" I retorted angrily, but happy he was laughing again.

"Huh?! What are you talking about? There was a lot of girls lined up for me, but I chose you!" he said, smirking.

"Wow, I must be special…" I hissed sarcastically, crossing my arms.

He smile softening up his stiff expression.

"Thanks." he said.

"Rukia," my brother called from downstairs, "Dinner's ready!"

I hesitated and looked at him. He got up and said,

"Go ahead and eat dinner, I have some unfinished business to do."

I cocked my head to the side, curiously. Then he disappeared. I sighed and came to down to eat dinner.

*****Next Day*****

I came in class, rushing, only 3 minutes left till the bell rings. I opened the door.

"Kuchiki, hurry and get to your seat!" the teacher called.

I walked quickly to my desk, breathing hard.

*_Man, stupid alarm clock!* _I thought. _*Luckily, today's is a half day*_

The bell rang as the teacher wrote something on the board. After she finished I read what she put.

"Drawing Contest" below it read,

"You are paired with someone to whom I will chose your partners and it must be a self-portrait of your partner. It will count as your grade, but whomever wins, their grade doubles."

*_What?*_ I thought.

"Okay, I'll start pairing you guys up!" she said, enthusiastically.

"Aww, Sensei, can't we pick our own partners?" a student asked.

"I would, but that would mean I'm turning soft to you guys." she grinned.

Everyone, including me, whined.

"Okay! Haruno and Akano, Fujimoto and Kimatsu, Arisawa and Inoue, Schiffer and Kuchiki…"

I feel my jaw drop.

*_W-What?* _I thought, *_Why always him?*_

I quickly raised my hand.

"Umm…Sensei, can I be paired up with someone else?" I asked.

The teacher stopped and looked at me.

"Why Kuchiki? Is there something wrong with Schiffer?" she asked.

"Umm, nothing's wrong with him, its just that-"

She cut me off, then continued reading the names. I sat back down, looked at Ulquiorra, he wasn't even bothered on what I asked. I felt someone staring at me and caught Inoue looking at me with a sad expression. I looked at her and raised my brows. She turned around and I sighed deeply.

"Okay everyone get with your partners and let's head outside!" she said, "Oh! And before that don't forget we have a field trip tomorrow, so get here early or we'll leave you!"

I got up, grudgingly, getting my sketch pad and pencil. Ulquiorra was looking outside, at the sky again.

_*Come on! What's up with him and the window?*_ I thought.

I tapped him in the shoulder. He turned slowly and looked at me.

"Hmmm?" he mumbled.

"Umm, we have to draw?" I said, holding up my sketch pad and pencil.

He only nodded and we walked outside. It was so sunny and I didn't see a single cloud in the clear blue sky.

"So, where do you want to draw?" I asked, still looking up.

"Anywhere is fine." he said in his usual monotone voice.

So I started walking to a shady tree and a bench underneath it. I sat down and got to work, opened my sketch pad. When I looked up he already started sketching.

"So…" I began, "Did the blood come off?"

I saw a tiny hint of smile appear on his face.

"No" he said, "I tried to burn it, but your blood was like gas, so it burned the whole thing."

I narrowed my eyes and smacked him with my sketch pad. He didn't even flinch, he was still sketching.

"That's not funny!" I exclaimed, angrily.

I continued drawing as time passes.

"You know what's weird?" he said all of sudden, "Is that you have so many different emotions that its hard for me to portray just one."

I focused on my drawing, trying to ignore him. A minute passed and he said nothing. I looked at him, trying to draw his features.

"What do you mean? Are you calling me bipolar?" I finally muttered.

"No, I'm not calling you bipolar, its just that its weird you can maintain another mask." he said, thoughtfully.

Annoyed, I smacked him in the arm twice, earning a smile from him. I got even more annoyed and kept on smacking him until I saw five shadows appear. I turned and saw five girl standing next to us.

"Hey, Schiffer-kun." Chizuru said, in a flirtatious tone, giving him a special smile.

.

Disgusted, I looked at the other girls, they were all glaring at me except Inoue. Ulquiorra barely acknowledging them, just continued sketching. Chizuru tried again and asked in a sickeningly sweet voice,

"May I see your drawing?"

Ulquiorra didn't move, so Chizuru moved closer to him and leaned down, smirked, and said,

"Wow, nice sketch, but the girl in the drawing just killed it."

All of her clique laughed. I narrowed my eyes and I gripped on my pencil harder, anger building inside of me.

"You know what-" I stopped, barely trying to compose myself.

Ulquiorra looked up to them, finally, his face dark and blank. Their expressions suddenly changed, it looked like fear.

"L-Look, Chizu-chan, don't say that I think Kuchiki-san is really pretty." Inoue stuttered, concealing an evil smirk.

She looked at me, giving me a faint smile, but her eyes deceived me, it showed anger and jealousy. They all started laughing again.

"Pretty? Inoue you must be blind, a girl like her can't be pretty." Chizuru scoffed.

I was about to get up and grab her read hair, but Ulquiorra's voice stopped me.

"Hey, do you only have to be pretty on the outside? It doesn't matter if your pretty or ugly, what matters is inside." he said, darkly, " While all you girls have both an ugly appearance, your disgusting attitude just made yourself more uglier."

I feel my eyes widened and my jaw drop. I slowly turned my head to face their completely shocked expressions.

"W-What are you talking about, Schiffer-kun?" Chizuru stuttered nervously, her face completely flushed.

"Shut the hell up, how dare you insult someone right in front of me, those things just piss me off." he said, harshly.

I turned and looked at him, then looked at Chizuru. She started sobbing, tears forming, and the girls quickly comforted her as they walk away.

"It's all right, he's probably in a bad mood." one girl soothed.

"Shut up!" I heard her say.

"I-I'm really sorry for what she said." Inoue said to me, backing away.

I just gave her a nod, still in shock on the harsh remarks Ulquiorra made.

"You didn't have to defend me from your fan girls." I pointed out, looking at him.

His expression softened again as he started sketching again. I turned to look at them and instantly my eyes widened. There I saw Ichigo kicking Chizuru's butt and I heard him say,

"Don't you dare insult my midget!"

He was slapping each of their faces now, creating winds, but his hand was going through their head. They started screaming and running as they felt the sudden wind.

"Pfft!" I started laughing.

"Are you okay?" Ulquiorra asked, raising an eyebrow, bewildered from my laughter from bursting into laughter again.

"Ah, uh, nothing, I just thought of something." I said, trying to control myself.

I looked back and saw Ichigo looking at me. He smiled, gave me a thumbs up, and disappeared from view. I must have looked disappointed because Ulquiorra said,

"Don't worry about it."

I looked at him and studied his concentrated face.

"I'm not, its just that, I could take your fan girls anytime and beat them up." I said, confidently.

He laughed and put down his sketch pad.

"W-What?" I asked, still not used to his soft side.

He looked at me and smiled. His face was so…attractive. He has such a beautiful set of green eyes, perfect pale skin, and his mediumish shaggy hair. I quickly looked at my sketch pad and started drawing. Then suddenly he reached out his hand and asked,

"Can I see it?"

I quickly pulled away and hugged my sketch pad.

"N-No! Its, Its not done yet."

He extended his hand ever more and took my sketch pad. He easily took it, I tried to take it back, but he was already looking at it.

"Is this how you see me?" he asked, disgustingly, "It looks like I've been beat up and I'm liking it."

I quickly grabbed it and narrowed my eyes.

"I told you I wasn't done yet!" I shouted.

He narrowed his eyes back and said,

"It looks like a four-year old drew it, wait, no, a dog."

"Oh, shut up! Like yours is better." I countered back.

He turned his sketch pad and I saw myself.

_*I hate you*_ I thought.

It was perfectly drawn, my hair, the blank eyes, it was all detailed, but the mouth…it was missing.

"Is this how you see me? No mouth?" I asked, still amazed.

"Like I told you, I can't portray and chose an expression." he sighed.

"Wow, does this-" I didn't get to finish my question, he looked at me.

"Times up!" the teacher yelled, "Let's go back to class!"

We both got up and walked back to class. We laid our drawing in our desk as the teacher walked pass by to check it. Each time she would stop and laugh at the drawing.

_*What a messed up teacher*_

The teacher finished looking at them.

"Some of them were good, like Schiffer's, but your partner's just…no comment." she said.

"I hate her." I muttered.

"So," she continued, " the winner is Haruno and Akano."

Everybody clapped and cheered for them. The bell rang and everyone started leaving. I started packing my and saw Ulquiorra's hand extend, with his portrait.

"Here, once you've figured out your true emotion, I'll finish it." he said.

I looked at him, not understanding.

"Thanks." I said as I grabbed it.

I took my portrait and started to crumble it, but he quickly grabbed it.

"W-What are you doing?" I asked.

He held it up to show me.

"I'll keep it" he said, smiling a little.

I feel myself blush.

"So I could improve it." he continued, walking away, patting my shoulder gently.

_*W-Wha?!*_ I thought, as I felt myself flush.

He was gone, I looked down at the portrait.

"Real emotion, huh?" I asked myself.


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry for the late update! I had a lot of schoolwork and I had a huge writer's block.**

**Also many thanks for the reviews!! If you want to give me any ideas you can PM me, it would really help.**

**Also many thanks again to narcotic-lullaby for supporting me!!**

**Merry (late) Christmas and Happy New year!!**

**

* * *

**

_*Wh-Where am I?*_ I thought as my body floated in mid-air and my eyes were half-closed.

_*It's so...dark...*_ I looked around trying to find a single hint of light. I turned myself around as I placed my feet on the ground _*It's so cold too...*_

"Hello?" I called, but my voice only echoed into the darkness.

"Hello?!" I called again, though louder this time.

I clenched my fist and ignored the cold atmosphere. I inhaled preparing to scream a loud "Hello".

"Hel-" I was cut off by a tiny firefly appearing in front of me, flying past me.

_*What?*_ I thought. _*Where did this come from?*_

I followed the tiny spark of light, but it was flying fast.

"W-Wait!" I breathed, running now.

Then all of a sudden I was transported into a beautiful meadow. In front of me was a single tree and the rest just tall grass, moving as the wind passes by. I looked around and saw the bright sun and felt the warmth flow through me, despite the cold atmosphere that I was in.

_*Okay, where the hell am I now?*_

I felt someone tap me on the shoulder I quickly turned around. My eyes automatically widened as I saw Ichigo in front of me.

"Hey" he grinned.

Tears welled up in my eyes. He looked different, he wasn't in his ghostly glowing complexion...he looked… well, real. It felt like everything was back to normal, and I hoped everything would be fine again.

I _hoped_.

"Ichi…go?" I asked, sobbing now.

He smiled widely and said, "The one and only"

Tears were now rolling down my cheeks uncontrollably. I reached out my hand to touch his face. I gasped. It was…real. His skin was so warm and soft. He placed his hand on mine and I flinched a little, it was so warm and firm.

"Haha, what's with that face?" he asked.

"Y-You're alive?" I wondered, happily.

"Of course I am" he said "Aren't I here in front of you right now?"

I dropped my hand from his grip and wiped my tears.

"I-I'm so happy!" I said, wiping my tears all over again.

I stopped and looked at him taking in every single detail of his face. He was here, in front of me, he's here…alive. He was still smiling as I opened my arms to him. I smiled widely, but as I was about to embrace him he disappeared instantly. I looked around desperately, looking for him.

"Ichigo?" I whispered.

I stood up and started running looking for him. The scenery was still the same, the tall grass, and the big trees. I collapsed on my knees and grasped my head, frustrated.

"Haha…." I choked out, tears slowly falling down, "I-I knew it, I knew this wasn't real. Ichigo…please come back."

I know those words weren't going to do anything. Then all of a sudden everything turned gray. I could hear voices everywhere:

"Poor girl."

"She must be lonely."

"Haha, you want me to comfort you?"

"You must be really lonely now that he's gone"

I screamed as loud as I can.

_*Stop! Stop it! Please…*_ I thought as I cradled my head, fearfully.

A figure appeared in front of me. I can't really see the face and the body features, but I can see the lips forming an evil smirk.

"It's your turn to die. Why don't we just end your misery?" it said, darkly.

_*Ichigo…save me*_

I opened my eyes full of tears and I was breathing hard.

"Was it a dream?" I thought out loud.

I looked around, I was in my room. I sighed in relief and looked at the clock.

_*Oh, shit*_ I thought _* It's 7:40, I forgot we had a field trip today.*_

I quickly got up and dressed. As I came down, I saw my brother.

"Byakuya-nii-sama, why didn't you wake me up?" I said, putting my shoes on.

He yawned, he had a white t-shirt on, shorts, and his long hair loosed around his shoulders.

"Sorry, I just woke up too." he sounded tired.

"Oh, well, see you later!" I called out, leaving.

I ran as fast as I can, finally I saw my classmates going inside the bus.

"Kuchiki, we were about to leave you" she scolded as she appeared behind one of the students. I came up to her out of breath.

"I'm…sorry…" I managed to choke out.

"You too, Schiffer" she continued.

I looked behind me and saw Ulquiorra holding a jacket and dressed up in his casual clothes, a black shirt and jeans.

"Haha, you're late" I joked.

He looked at me. "You're the one to talk, Rabbit girl" he said, walking past me.

_* Rabbit girl?*_ I thought.

I looked down at my shirt. I was wearing my favorite brand of pajamas, Chappy. I quickly got inside the bus and sat down at my assigned seat.

"Okay, everyone" she said, "I want you guys to be on your best behavior!"

"Yes!" everyone chorused.

I thought of my dream, shivering from the thought that someone wants me dead. Mostly, I feared if Ichigo disappearing again. I felt something inside of me clench. The ride to the Shigura shrine was like a blur and I didn't even notice that we were there. Everyone got off the bus. The first thing I noticed was the trees surrounding it, it was like the one in my dream. I quickly turned my gaze away and head inside.

"Okay, first things first, we look around with the tour guide and you guys have two hours of free time. Even though it's only supposed to be one…" she said.

Everyone cheered as one of the student said,

"We love you, sensei!"

"That's disgusting, who wants to be loved by you?" she said, jokingly and everybody laughed.

For the past few hours I listened to the tour guide, who looked like a foreigner with blonde hair and brown eyes. Listening to this lady actually helped me distract myself from my dream. She mostly talked about when and why this shrine was built. I noticed that most of the boys were looking at her.

_*Ha…they look like puppies, fighting for their mother's attention*_

The tour finally ended and our last stop was the gift shop.

"Feel free to look" she said, softly and then left.

Then all of a sudden all the boys crowded the stand trying to fight over something.

"I'll buy this for her!" one guy bragged.

"I'll buy this!" another said.

_*Oh…this looks interesting*_

I saw Ulquiorra looking at the god-like key chain.

"You gonna buy that?" I asked, looking at it.

"Interested?" he said, turning it.

Instantly, I was pissed. He looked at me and smiled a little.

"I'm joking" he said, "I just like seeing your reactions"

"Huh, since when did Ulqui-kun learn how to joke?" I countered, trying to piss him off.

He was about to say something when a kid bumped into him and fell backwards.

"I-I'm s-s-sorry" he stuttered, grasping his nose and then looking up.

Ulquiorra glared at him and instantly the boy started crying.

"Hey! Stop that!" I said as I walked to him.

He kept crying, making loud sobs and sniffles.

"H-Hey, It's all right, he's just an idiot with a scary face, well, it's his natural face, so don't worry about it." I soothed.

He finally looked at me and he started laughing. He looks so cute, his brown eyes finally softening and matching his shaggy hair. I smiled and helped him up.

"C-Can you guys help m-me?" he asked shyly.

"Sure" I said as I grab hold of Ulquiorra's shirt.

"What?" he said.

"Where are you going?"

"Are you deaf or something? The teacher said we have two hours of free time and I'm not spending it with you." he said coldly.

_* Who would want to?*_ I thought and out loud I said, coldly, tightening my grip on his shirt,

"Huh?! It was your fault he started crying. Either you help or die"

He chuckled thinking my threat was funny. He looked at me then at the little boy and he started walking away.

"I'd rather die" he said.

"W-Wait!, you have to help him." I hissed, trying to pull him back.

I was preparing to launch my fist at his back, but the he stopped and I stumbled a little. He sighed,

"Fine, what do you want, brat?"

He only looked at me, scared that Ulquiorra might attack him any minute.

"I'm lost and I-I can't find my mom." he said, getting all teary again.

Ulquiorra walked up to him and smacked him on the head, making a soft thud noise.

"H-Hey!" I narrowed my eyes.

"Stop crying, it's not going to do anything." he said, coldly.

The little boy looked up and he was trying to hold his tears in, but they were falling freely down his cheeks. I felt a sudden feeling of sympathy, wanting to hug him, but I stopped myself.

_* You didn't have to smack him*_ I thought as I pushed Ulquiorra away.

"Smacking him won't help either. Now tell us what's your name." I said.

"I-I'm Kai, 6 years old, and I really love animals." he said as he wiped his tears.

_*Ah-ha, the animal part wasn't really necessary though*_

"My name is Rukia and this guy here is Ulquiorra, Nice to meet you" I said, shaking his tiny hand.

I looked at Ulquiorra and he looked like he was in more despair.

"C'mon, you too" I hissed.

"Are you telling me what to do?" he asked, darkly as I felt Kai flinch a little.

"N-Never mind then" I forced a smile, "Let's start searching."

We walked around the shrine asking people for information. I asked Kai if he remembers where he was before but unfortunately he doesn't. We walked and walked, until we passed the two god statues five times. I looked around desperately, but all I saw was the same strangers.

"Kai, are you sure you weren't here before?" I asked.

"Yes…" he said, looking around.

Ulquiorra looked at me and said,

"Let's try again then."

I smiled and thought,

_*He's nice again!*_

"Stop smiling" he said, walking away, "It creeps me out"

_*Bastard, I take it back!*_

I heard Kai laugh next to me, and I narrowed my eyes at him. He stopped and began to walk again. We started searching again and ended up where my classmates were.

"Nee-chan," he said all of a sudden.

"Hmm?"

"Are you guys on a field trip?" he asked, shyly.

"You're asking me that now?"

Then all of a sudden he got energetic and asked,

"Really? From what elementary school?"

I stopped and so did Ulquiorra. I felt a sudden wind pass by. I looked at him for a moment, slowly absorbing on what he just asked.

"What?" I asked, feeling myself boil inside.

"What elementary school are you guys from?" he repeated, smiling widely.

"Pfft…!"

I turned and saw Ulquiorra trying to hold his laughter. I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Hey! That's not funny!"

He looked at me and laughed even harder. He walked up to Kai and patted his head.

"W-What?" he asked, suddenly scared.

"I'm not an elementary student!" I exclaimed.

"Eh? Nee-chan, you know lying is bad and your also wearing Chappy the Rabbit t-shirt!" he pointed out.

_*Wah! I forgot I was wearing this shirt.*_

"T-That doesn't mean I'm an elementary student!" I shouted as I felt my cheeks burn with embarrassment.

"Sorry, then are you in middle school?" he asked, annoyingly.

Ulquiorra chuckled and patted his head even more and said,

"I beginning to like you, Kai"

_*You little…*_ I thought and out loud I said,

"I'm in high school! Can't you tell?! I'm with him!"

"Eh? But he looks like a student teacher, and plus your height…"

"Don't even go there! I'll kill you!" I hissed.

Then all of a sudden we heard someone calling out,

"Kai! Kai! Where are you?!"

I turned around and saw the tour guide lady coming towards us.

_*That's your mother?!?*_

"Mom!" Kai said, happily as the boys in our class looked.

"Mom?" one guy said.

"She's married?!" another said.

"Man, I wasted my money! And she has a child too"

The mom smiled and quickly rushed to hug Kai, while the girls are laughing at the boys.

"That's what you get!"

"Idiots…"

Everyone else started walking away disappointed and amused.

"Thank god, you're okay!" she said, "Where have you been?! Do you know how much I was worried?!"

"M-Mom!" Kai sobbed as he hugged his mother back.

I looked at them smiling. Feeling happy that Kai finally found his mom.

"You could be a great mom someday." I heard Ulquiorra say behind me.

I turned around and looked at him in the eye, thinking it was one of his rude remarks I just said,

"Whatever"

"Thank you very much" she said, patting Kai gently, " This kid is really a handful"

"No, it was nothing, it was actually kinda fun hanging out with Kai, right Ulquiorra?" I asked, looking at him.

"Yeah." he said.

"Nee-chan, Ulquiorra-nii, thank you!" he said, smiling and walking away, "Let's have fun again!"

I smiled and Ulquiorra said,

"He left…"

I felt a sudden pain in my chest arose. Then all of a sudden memories started slowing in my head. Most of them were about Ichigo. Feeling the sadness that he's going to leave again.

"Y-Yeah…he left" I stuttered, shakily.

Kai looked back, smiled, and shouted,

"Goodbye!"

Tears started falling; I quickly wiped it before Ulquiorra could see them. I waved back to Kai.

_*That's weird, I didn't know the word "Goodbye" could trigger tears. I wonder how many goodbyes are there…?*_

I was crying hard now. I can't stop my tears, why wouldn't it stop…? I'm so frustrated! More importantly I don't want Ichigo to disappear and leave me again. I want him to stay here, smiling. It felt like someone was blocking me, so I looked up and saw Ulquiorra. His face looked so calm, he's so lucky I wish I could maintain that expression too. He reached out his hand and gently placed it on top of my head. His hand stayed there for a long time, like it's telling me everything will be all right…


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello! I know I haven't updated for a while, so sorry!! I had a huge writer's block, but I hope you like this chapter.**

Thank you to narcotic-lullaby for the support!  


**Many thanks to the reviews!**  


* * *

  
_*This. Cannot. Be. Happening.*_ I thought.

I looked down at my English test again, not believing on what I'm seeing. It had a big, fat 15 on it.

_*Man, I hate this, this is the only class that I'm freaking failing!*_ I thought desperately.

I quickly turned my test around and looked at other people's test. 50...75...67... I turned and looked at Ulquiorra's paper. As expected, he got a high score of 95, but I still can't help being shocked.

"Okay," the teacher said getting everyone's attention, " To those who failed the English test, there will be a re-take test next Monday. This grade is important, it'll decide if you pass this class or not, so if I were _you_, I would get help."

She specifically looked at me as I squirmed down my seat, not wanting to make eye contact with other people. The bell rang and my classmates shuffled out the door. I started to pack my stuff as an idea popped into my head.

_*Maybe I should ask Ulquiorra for help…*_ I wondered looking at Ulquiorra, who seemed to be on his own world, watching something outside the window.

Then, all of a sudden, memories from the field trip flooded me. My cheeks flushed in embarrassment as I remembered that I had cried in front of him that day. I quickly packed my stuff into the bag when his voice stopped me,

"What?" he asked, not looking at me.

"What do you mean '_What_?'?" I asked dumbly.

He looked at me, his emerald eyes glistening from the sun, and said, "You've been staring at me for the last 10 minutes…"

"U-Uh…well…um…" I stuttered, fidgeting at the strap of my bag.

He rested his chin on top of his hand and stared at me. I looked around trying to find a way to stall out of this situation. He sighed and asked,

"You want me to help you?"

This made me turn my head to him and blink at him. Then I raised my brows and thought,

_*What's the catch?*_

"Don't give me that look" he said, "Here I am giving you an opportunity to help you pass this class, you might as well take advantage of it, woman."

I crossed my arms across my chest and rolled my eyes.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, trying to sound confident, but my voice ended up being weak.

"You know exactly what I what I'm talking about, Ms. 15/100, your face says it all."

"F-Fine, if you insist so much then I guess I'll just have to take your offer" I said, looking away, trying to hide away the embarrassment.

"See? You'll accept it anyway, you stubborn woman." he said as he got up, heading out towards the door.

"Wha-?" I began, but I got cut off.

"I'll meet you in the library after school."

The classroom was so quiet. I looked out the window and I could see the sun setting in the horizon. For some weird reason, I smiled, a real sincere smile. I don't know what's really causing me to smile like this, but all I know is that I haven't smiled like that in a long time. Maybe I was happy that I wasn't lonely anymore… Happy that I finally have someone by my side.

*Next day: After school*

"Hey! Watch it!"

I looked back and said 'Sorry'. I ran as fast as I could towards the library.

"Shit" I muttered under my breath, almost colliding with another student.

"Hey!"

_*Ulquiorra's going to kill me!*_ I thought, ignoring the person.

As I was about to turn right in the near corner, I crashed into someone and fell on my butt. The impact was so big, that my nose started throbbing.

"O-Ow…" I said, clutching my nose, afraid that blood might burst out any minute.

I looked up to see Orihime rubbing her chin, painfully. She narrowed her eyes at me, but then she saw it was just me, her face quickly softened. Yet, again, her eyes kept on deceiving me, it was full of anger and hatred. I quickly got up, dusting the dirt off my skirt. I bowed my head.

"Inoue, I'm really sorry, but I was in a rush and…" I trailed off as I saw the time.

_*Oh no…*_ I thought. _*I'm 20 minutes late already?!*_

"N-No, it's all right! Kuchiki-san…?" She said as she looked at my paled face.

"U-Um, sorry, but I really have to go!" I yelled, running again.

Finally I reached the door of the library and came inside. I looked around trying to find Ulquiorra. There he was, sitting down, a book covering his face. I came up to him and whispered, "Ulquiorra?"

He didn't budge. I reached out to try to take the book off his face, but I got startled as he slowly reached for it and take it off himself. I quickly regained my composure as he looked at me with a blank expression.

"You're-" he started.

I quickly bowed my head.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!, I know I'm late." I apologized desperately.

"Is being late one of your favorite hobbies?" he asked sarcastically.

I just stared down at my shoes and shook my head.

"Well, whatever, just sit down so we could get started" he continued with his monotone voice.

I quickly sat down and opened up my official Chappy notebook.

"Okay," he began, "Basically, the test was all about proper nouns, adjectives, and verbs. I have no idea why you failed such an easy test."

I nodded, ignoring the remark, and wrote down the words.

"Now," he continued, "I'll give you a word and all you have to do is tell me if it's a proper noun, adjective, or a verb. Let's start…"

He pointed to word which looked like gibberish.

"Say the word first then tell me the correct answer." he ordered.

"Ca…Ca…" I began, " Ca…ri…._Carifolia_?"

I looked up and he looked angry.

"California" he said fluently, "Now what is it?"

"Um, an…adjective?" I guessed raising an eye brow.

He sighed,

"It's a proper noun, you idiot."

"I-I know that! I was just testing you!"

He ignored me and pointed to another word.

_*Oh, I know this one.*_ I thought.

"Run," I said knowingly, "And it's an adjective."

"Are you just playing around or are just really retarded?" he said flatly as he looked at me with his blank eyes.

"W-What?" I asked, "Did I get it wrong or something?"

He stabbed the word on the paper and said, "It's a verb, you dumb midget."

_*Oh, no…*_ I thought.

"You did not just that…" I said darkly as I slammed both of my hands on the table, earning a look from the librarian.

I regained myself as I breath in and out, trying to calm myself. I glared at him and I could see a faint smirk on his face.

"At least…At least I'm not a nerd!" I countered lamely.

"Amazing…that is one nice comeback."

I crossed my arms and looked away.

"Geeze, you're so freaking rude! No wonder you don't have a girlfriend." I joked.

Then something unexpected happened, but I don't know why, as I turned around, a soft smile appeared on his face, softening his expression. A smile that only he knows… For some reason the way he smiled reminded me of _him_…I leaned closer and said,

"You know, you look _much _better when you smile."

Then all of a sudden his smile disappeared his expression turning into anger as he looked away.

"Ohh, what's _this_? Is Mr. I'm-too-good-for-you embarrassed?" I teased, grinning.

"Yeah, sure, I'm embarrassed" he scoffed, "At least after this little tutoring, I'll be able to graduate high school."

I clenched my fist and glared at him.

"At least….At least…" I trailed off, not able to make a comeback.

He raised an eyebrow. I was about to say something when the librarian approached us and said,

"Um, excuse me, the library is about to close."

I looked around realizing that I and Ulquiorra were the only people left.

"Oh, it's this late already?" I asked myself.

Ulquiorra started packing his stuff as the librarian walked away.

"C'mon, I'll walk you home." he offered.

"Okay…,wait, I just have to get something from my gym locker." I said, walking away.

"All right"

I ran through the empty hallways, it looked weird without students crowding and going wherever. I passed a classroom, running towards the gym, when suddenly I heard footsteps. I stopped for a second.  
_  
*Is someone still here?*_ I thought.

"Oh, well." I muttered to myself as I started to run and shrugged the feeling off.

I opened the gym doors and it was completely dark. All I can see was the dim light coming out of the widows above. Then I heard a _CLACK_!.

_*Woah, what was that?*_ I thought as I tried to focus my eyes.

Then I heard another _CLACK_! and it felt closer this time.

"Who the hell is in here?!" my voice echoed in the darkness.

No one answered. I clenched my fist preparing on what's about to come. Then all of a sudden a figure appeared in front of me in a flash. The figure quickly punched me in the gut. I fell backwards, clutching my stomach, trying to ease the pain away. I started coughing really hard, I looked up trying to see who my culprit was. Then that's when I saw it, a hint of expression I've seen before. I tried to focus my eyes, but tears welled up my eyes. I tried to scream for help, but I couldn't breathe. That's when I lost consciousness….

* * *

  
"Hey!" I heard Ulquiorra's voice, hurting my ears.

"Rukia!" he yelled loud and clear, getting closer.  
_  
*It hurts…why do I feel so numb?*_

"Hey midget! Wake up!" I heard a familiar voice say desperately.

I felt Ulquiorra hands around my shoulder as he slowly eased me up. I slowly opened my eyes and I saw him staring down at me with narrowed eyes. Then I turned my head and saw Ichigo with a worried expression.

"Ichigo…help…me…" I gasped.

"Ichigo?" I heard Ulquiorra ask.


	7. Chapter 7

_I think you guys already noticed that I update every once a month. I'm really sorry for the late updates because it takes me a very long time to get inspired. I hope this chapter won't be boring for you guys._

_Thanks to all those who added me to their favorites and alerts! I love you guys!!_

_Also, thanks to those who reviewed especially to those who review in every chapter! _

_Don't forget to read my upcoming mini series called "__On a journey to you__"_

_Many thanks to narcotic-lullaby!_

* * *

"Ichigo?" I heard Ulquiorra ask.

I struggled to focus my eyes.

"You mean Kurosaki Ichigo?" he repeated, slightly confused.

Slowly, my eyesight was getting clear. I turned again and there he was, still looking at me. I slowly eased my hand up to touch him, but like always it went through. He really looked worried. Then all of a sudden I remember someone had punched me and lost consciousness.

"Rukia," Ulquiorra said, "Kurosaki Ichigo is not here."

"What are you talking about? He's right-" I stopped.

_*That's right…nobody can't see him_* I thought.

Then I saw Ulquiorra's hand in front of me and he flicked me in the forehead. I quickly got up and touched the part where he flicked me.

"What the hell was that for?!" I exclaimed.

"You've been spacing out," he replied.

"There's still other ways to get my attention!"

"Rukia," I heard Ichigo say, "I'll let Ulquiorra take care of you."

His voice sounded sad as he starts to fade away. He took one glance at me and smiled a little.

_*Don't leave me…*_

I felt Ulquiorra's hand wrap around my arm as he help me on my feet.

"Thank you" I mumbled.

A shooting pain aroused in my stomach. I bent down and groaned quietly.

"Here, let me help" he offered his hand.

"No, it's okay." I breathed.

"You stubborn woman" he swiftly picked me up and threw me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"H-Hey! What are you doing?!"

"Just shut up or I'll punch you in the stomach" he threatened.

"Punch me and I'll pull your hair out of your head" I threatened back.

He ignored me and headed towards the library and picked up our stuff with his free hand. He walked outside and it was completely dark. I looked up and the stars were shining brightly. Then I noticed we were heading in a different direction. I sighed and then asked,

"Where are we going?"

He was silent.

"I said, where are we going?"

He ignored me again.

_*If he doesn't answer back this time* _I thought._* I'll definitely punch him hard in the back.*_

"I said, Where. The. Hell-"

"We're going to my house." he interrupted.

I sighed deeply and thought,

_*So, I'm coming over to this guy's house…*_

A few moments later we arrived in front of a large gate that guarded a much larger house. As he put me down, I took in the view. I felt my eyes widen as I saw a beautiful house with a colorful garden, a light illuminating the colors of the flowers, and a fountain in the middle. I heard a Ulquiorra push a button on a receiver box and said,

"Open up the gate"

Slowly, the gate started to open and he led the way.

_*Oh my gosh* _I thought. _*I did not know he was rich…*_

We stopped in front of a big white door as it opened revealing an old butler.

"Welcome home, young master." he bowed.

He simply nodded and went in. When he didn't hear me move, he turned around.

"Are you going to come in or do you want me to carry you?" he asked mockingly.

I ignored his comment as walked in. Then all of a sudden a green blur attacked me and cause me to stumble on the marble floor. I felt something wet drop on my face. I opened my eyes revealing a little girl with green hair and gray eyes. Her expression looked as if she wanted to eat me. Her mouth and eyes were wide open as more saliva poured out of her mouth dropping all over my jaw and shirt. I began to panic.

"Nel, get off her" I heard Ulquiorra say behind her.

"I don't wanna!" she whined as she moved her face closer to mine.

I heard him sigh as he walked closer to her. He bent down and encircled her little waist with one hand. He lifter her up from me so easily as she started to kick her legs in the air and giggled sweetly, obvious that she was having fun.

"Sorry about that" a deep voice apologized.

I turned and saw a young man. He has blue spikish hair and was grinning apologetically. He walked in front of me and offered his hand. I gladly took it. He turned to Ulquiorra and smirked.

"Is she your girlfriend?" he asked.

"Please, she could pass as my sister" he scoffed.

I clenched my fist and narrowed my eyes. I opened my mouth about to say something, then closed it, not wanting to be rude. I unclenched my fist and smiled like a Kuchiki would. The man with the blue hair stood next to Ulquiorra and patted him hard on the shoulder.

"Don't be so mean"

Ulquiorra glared at his touch. The man ignored him and continued,

"I'm just wondering why would a pretty petite girl like her would be with you anyways."

Before Ulquiorra could punch him he moved in front of me and held his hand out.

"My name is Grimmjow"

"Rukia" I replied as I took his hand and shook it.

He pulled me closer to him and whispered beside my ear,

"Don't worry about him, he just has troubles showing his true feelings"

I was slightly confused so I just nodded my head like I understood.

"Stop harassing her." he said as he put the little girl down.

She walked up to me and started tugging at the hem of my skirt. I kneeled down and she smiled.

"My name ish Nel-su" she grinned revealing two missing front teeth.

I smiled back and replied,

"Nice to meet you, Nel-chan, I'm Rukia"

"You want something to drink?" Ulquiorra asked as he started to walk in another room.

I followed him while Grimmjow and Nel began playing tag. As we walked towards the kitchen, I couldn't help but notice the picture hanging on the wall. It was mostly picture of them three and only one picture had a different man standing in between Ulquiorra and Grimmjow. He had curly brown hair and thick glasses, smiling warmly, his arms draped over Ulquiorra's and Grimmjow's shoulder. Ulquiorra noticed me stop and looked on what I was looking at. I just noticed that all of them had no resemblance at all. Not with the hair, eyes, and smile, but I did notice that Ulquiorra looked happy even though he had no expression, I could just see it in his eyes.

"Is he your dad?" I asked, not taking my eyes off of it.

"Yeah"

"How come you guys don't look nothing alike?"

I looked at him.

He hesitated before answering,

"He's our foster father"

"Oh, I'm-"

"What about you?"

He began walking again and I followed him.

"What about me?"

"I meant your family." he answered while opening the refrigerator, pulling out a carton of juice.

"Well, it's just me and my brother," I said as I took a seat and the juice he offered.

"My parents died when I was little, so…" I trailed off and he didn't say anything.

"So, you were adopted," it sounded more like a statement than a question.

"I was adopted when I was 9, father has been nothing but nice to us and treated as like we were his real children." he said after a moment.

This was all new to me. I'm seeing another side of Ulquiorra that no one else has seen. I felt special, special that he trusted me. I looked at him and he looks calm yet happy even though his facial expressions aren't showing it. He continued,

"I remember my parents leaving me when I was 6. They couldn't support me anymore, so they threw me away like a piece of trash. So I ended up in a foster home. I felt hopeless and unwanted. Every time someone tries to befriend me, I just push them away."

I nodded when he stopped, urging him to keep going.

"I was afraid…I thought if I started opening up they might end up leaving me like my parents. But my foster father, Aizen, never did. He accepted me and made me feel like I wasn't a burden. He saved me from myself."

I looked at him sympathetically, but also surprised that he's telling me about his past. I smiled sadly.

"I know how you feel, a person also saved me from myself. He was always by my side, protecting me. I was really happy every time I see him, but in a blink of an eye he disappeared."

We were both quiet for a moment, until his question caught me off guard.

"Do you still love him?"

"Yes" I answered truthfully with no hesitation.

All of a sudden my phone started ringing. I looked at the caller, it was my brother. I answered it,

"Hello?"

"_Where are you? How come you're not home yet?"_ he questioned on the other line.

"Something happened, but I'm fine, a friend took me to his house."

"_He?" _he said coldly.

I almost giggled at my brother's protectiveness, but stopped myself.

"Yeah"

"_I'll come pick you up right now"_

Before I could tell him the address he hung up. I got up and he also did.

"Your brother?" he asked with raised brow.

I nodded and we walked towards the front door.

"Thanks for helping me"

He started to rotate his right shoulder.

"You should be, I think I'll be needing a cast for this shoulder, since you were so heavy."

"Don't get so cocky, you nerd" I retorted.

"Whatever you say, midget"

I was about to smack him when the doorbell rang. The butler opened the door revealing my brother.

_*How does he know I'm here?*_ I thought.

"Thanks for calling me, Grimmjow-san" my brother said in a monotone voice.

Me and Ulquiorra looked at him, Nel on his lap sleeping peacefully.

"You're welcome" he grinned.

"How did-"

"Let's go, Rukia" my brother ordered turning around.

I bowed and said goodbye to Grimmjow. I started to head out when Ulquiorra called out my name. I turned back, he was leaning in the doorframe, one hand on his pocket.

"When you need to talk to someone, I'll always be here"

I smiled widely and said,

"Same here"

"Let's go, Rukia!" my brother called out.

Before I turned back, I saw his rare smile appear on his face as he closed the door. As I ran towards my brother I couldn't help but smile again.


	8. Chapter 8

**(A/N): **_Hello! Thank you again for the wonderful reviews! I'm glad you guys are liking the story. Also, for those who were wondering if Grimmjow was the dad, he wasn't. He's Ulquiorra's and Nel's stepbrother and Aizen is the stepfather. Just clearing any misunderstandings. Now this chapter is fully Ichiruki, since it is a love triangle between Ulquiorra, Rukia, and Ichigo, so just telling you guys. So basically this chapter is a flashback, so I'm just telling you guys in advance._

_Italics- _are flashbacks

_Thank you again to narcotic-lullaby!! Enjoy!_

_Also, don't forget to check out my mini-series called "__On a journey to you__"._

**Disclaimer: **_I don't own Bleach or any of the characters._

* * *

_***Flashback: Ichigo and Rukia's first date***_

Here I am running as fast as I can, feeling the cold winter air in my cheeks. I was supposed to meet Ichigo in front of Urahara's store. Running, I thought how it shocked me so much when he asked me out. I could still remember what had happened:

_Ichigo led me outside, during lunch, asking me if he could talk to me for a minute, so I agreed. He stopped near by a garden and turned around to face me. His eyebrows were slightly narrowed and his expression looked so serious._

"_Would you like to go out with me?" he asked._

"_Huh?" was my instant reply accompanied by a raised brow._

_*Is he joking?" I thought._

"_It's not 'Huh?', it's yes or no." he said impatiently._

"_You're joking, aren't you?"_

"_I'm not." his voice filled with strength._

_I looked at his face for a minute and all I saw was determination. I sighed and crossed my arms across my chest._

"_Why would you want to go out with me? We don't get along and we practically argue and scream at each other everyday!"_

_He just shrugged and answered,_

"_Well…maybe I started liking you and grows even more every time I see you."_

_I couldn't help it, I started laughing, it just sounded so cheesy! Tears dangerously falling from the corner of my eyes. One hand clutched my stomach and the other covering my mouth to keep me from laughing even more. When I finally stopped laughing I looked up to see his face. It was expressionless. He turned around and said,_

"_I knew you weren't going to take me seriously."_

_Instantly, I felt guilty. He began to walk away, but I shocked myself when I said "Sure". It's so weird, my voice sounded…confident. He turned around, glaring at me, I would've too._

"_Stop play-"_

"_I'm serious" I replied shocking myself even more._

_He scratched the back of his head and sighed._

"_All right, meet me in front of Urahara's store tomorrow at 4:00, you better not be joking around, shortcake."_

And that's the reason why I'm running right now. I was 15 minutes late, since I was trying my best to pick an outfit. I ended up wearing jeans, a plain V-neck white shirt, and a thick black jacket to keep me warm. It was so cold, I could see a puff of white smoke coming out of my mouth. I finally saw Ichigo leaning his back on the wall, hands on his pocket.

"You're late" he said with a scowl on his face.

I stopped in front of him trying to catch my breath.

"S-Sorry" I breathed, looking up to face him.

He was wearing blue jeans, a shirt saying "Music is my life", a leather jacket, and a black scarf wrapped perfectly around his neck. I have to admit, he dresses up pretty nicely. He simply shrugged and began walking as I silently followed behind him. After a couple of minutes, we arrived in front of a booth. I blinked, in front of me was an amusement park. I hear people and kids screaming and laughing. I have nothing against amusement parks, but they're just too crowded and noisy. Ichigo stood next to me, handing me a ticket. I looked at him, shocked.

"This is your idea of a first date?" I couldn't help, but ask.

He just responded with a grin as he began to walk towards the entrance.

_*Is he toying with me?* _I thought.

"Are you coming?" he turned around, " Or are you just going to stand there looking like a lost child?"

Everyone around us started whispering and girls were giggling. I began to walk fast towards him and punched him in the arm. He just laughed, that made my heart skip…just a little. I clenched my fist preparing launch another punch, but stopped when I saw him offering his hand.

"C'mon"

I looked at it and walked past him and sarcastically saying,

"No, thank you, I'd rather hold Keigo's hand"

I could hear him laugh behind me. We just walked around for a few minutes, until I saw the Chappy the rabbit hanging on the wall. Ichigo must've seen me eyeing it, so he began to walk towards the booth. I followed him as he gave the man money. He was loading the gun as I whispered,

"I want the rabbit"

"Roger" he replied as he aimed.

He pulled the trigger and missed the plushie I wanted and instead it hit a tiger one.

"Your aiming sucks" I muttered disappointedly.

"Shut up" he retorted as he handed it to me.

I had no choice but to take it and thought,

_*It's better than nothing, plus it's cute anyways.*_

We began walking around trying to decide what to do next. We stopped in front a roller coaster ride. He asked me if I wanted to ride it and my instant reply was "Hell _no_!!". We began to wander around again, until my feet halted to a stop. A few yards away in front of me was Renji, my childhood friend, and Kaien, my senpai and used to be 'crush'.

"Hey, Rukia, what's wrong?" Ichigo asked when he noticed me stop.

_*Oh, shit*_ I thought when they noticed me.

I began to fluster as I thought of a way to get out so I hid behind Ichigo.

"Rukia…" he said, worried this time.

_*Ignore them, Ignore them. They'll probably disappear* _I hoped.

"Yo, Rukia!" I heard Renji's voice boom and all my hope was gone.

I stopped hiding knowing it was useless.

"Hey" I greeted and they just nodded.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" Kaien sing-song noticing Ichigo.

"Oh, Renji, Kaien-senpai, this is Ichigo my friend."

Ichigo offered his hand to Kaien, who shook it, then to Renji, who just smirked, but shook it firmly anyways.

"Nice name" Renji commented.

I could see an invisible vein pop on Ichigo's forehead as his grip tightened.

"Likewise, you pink baboon, and I'm not only her friend, I'm her _date."_

_*Again, with the heart skipping!* _I thought.

Kaien walked closer to Ichigo and looked closely at him.

"Wow, it's like looking at the mirror, except with orange hair." he said, while Ichigo backed up a little.

Then he turned to look at me.

"You're dating him because he looks like me?" he asked curiously.

"Not even" I scoffed and I could feel Ichigo staring at me.

"That's messed up," Renji joined in, "You liked Kaien, then stopped, and now you found a look-alike and you don't even try to go out with me!"

_*Because it'll be weird* _I thought.

"Last call for the ferries wheel!" I heard a man say.

This was my chance I grabbed Ichigo's wrist, leading him towards the ferries wheel.

"Well, we have to go!" I called.

Before they try to follow or join us I quickly shut the door and sighed in relief. I looked at Ichigo who was sitting across from me, his head down.

"Hey, what's wrong?" I asked.

"Is it true?" he started, "That you just went out with me because I looked like your old crush?"

He finally looked at me, his eyes filled with sadness.

"You're worried about that?" I sighed as I leaned back.

"But-"

"Let me finish" I hissed cutting him off.

He shut his mouth.

" I went out with you because I wanted to know if there was going to be a spark" I explained.

"So, is there-" he was cut off.

"Okay, you lovebirds, get out!" the constructor practically yelled, while Ichigo muttered beautiful curse words.

We stepped out and walk toward in front of a carousel. It was getting dark and standing next to the carousel made everything feel bright.

"It's cold…" I whispered, breathing warm breath on my frozen fingers.

Ichigo began to untie his scarf and leaned down to wrap it around my neck. I muttered a 'Thanks'. He didn't pull back instead he softly pecked his lips on my cheek.

"W-What was that for?!" I exclaimed, blushing madly at the touch of his lips on my cheek, while my hand was touching the part where he had kissed me.

"Was there a spark?" he grinned widely, making any girl swoon, unfortunately it worked for me.

I looked away with narrowed eyes, still blushing, and my hand covering my face. He started laughing at my reaction.

"This is bad" I muttered.

"Huh?" he asked, trying to stop laughing.

"I think I'm falling for you" I whispered.

That made him completely stop laughing as it was his turn to blush.

"S-Shut up!", he yelled as he started to walk away, "You're giving me false hopes, you dwarf."

"W-What did you say?!" I yelled back following him.

This is one of the weirdest date I've ever had. I expected everything to happen, but at the same time it didn't. Throughout the night, we argued, made fun of each other, and then we start laughing. Then I thought,

_*This might work out…*_

_***End of flashback***_

* * *

_***Present…***_

Nii-sama's car stopped in front of our house. I quickly opened the door and stepped out.

"Rukia…" he called out.

I faked a yawn as I said,

"I'm tired, good night, Nii-sama"

I quickly walked inside the house before he could start a lecture about me going over Ulquiorra's house. I walked upstairs and opened the door to my room. There in front of me was Ichigo standing. I shut the door and walked towards him.

"Ichi-"

"Rukia…tell me, what are we?" he asked all of a sudden.

The aura in the room was so uncomfortable, it was filled with a depressing tension.

"We're humans" I joked, trying to lighten the mood.

"That's right…what else?"

When I didn't say anything, he stepped closer and looked at me.

"They're alive"

I didn't get where was going with this.

"What's do you think our relationship is right now?"

_*What are you talking about?*_ I thought clenching my fist.

"I'm just a mere ghost that used to be a human, you're a human and…you're alive. That's out current relationship right now." he explained.

"I don't get it" I said choking a bit.

"I'm pretty sure you're aware that our relationship ended ever since the night that I died."

I stayed quiet, knowing it was the truth. Here I am trying not to admit it and been running away from the truth.

"I mean I can't even hold you" he said as he tried to touch my face.

I wanted to cry, but the unshed tears just won't come out. Instead I narrowed my eyes, saying,

"It sounds like you're saying that after we've been through, right now is nothing."

"Maybe it is…" he answered before fading away.

I just stood there shocked. I felt numb, sad, hurt, but there was an unfamiliar feeling tugging in my heart. My knees gave out and collapsed on the floor.

I felt…free.

* * *

**(A/N):** _Okay, so this chapter was basically about Ichigo and Rukia. The last part took me a long time to write, I was trying my best to build up the drama, but it ended up bad, so…yeah. You see that thing that says, "_Review this Chapter_" press it and tell me what you thought of this chapter._

**Senpai-** upperclassman

**Nii-sama-** Brother


	9. Chapter 9

**Miss me? XD **

**I'm really sorry for not updating for so long! Please don't hate me. Dx I promise to update as soon as I can! Sooo, back to the story! It's gonna be a 3-4 part festival, and this chapter is basically a filler, well for me it is. And I don't really like this chapter xP For the Sports and Cultural Festival, I don't really know how they do it in Japan, soo I kinda made it up. Soo, let's get to it! :D**

**And to all those who reviewed! Thank you so much! I finally reached 50 reviews! XD I'll mention all the names that reviewed since the beginning of this story, so check that out in the end!**

**Also…, Thank you narcotic_lullaby!**

**

* * *

**

"Okay class!" the teacher said, " You all know this week is going to be very hectic!"

Groans and whining came the reply of the students inside the classroom.

"We have the Sports Festival _and_ a Cultural Festival," she continued, ignoring the students, "I know two festivals in one week is hard, but bear with it, okay?"

"_Yes_!" came the reply of the class.

Some students began to whisper to one another saying how much fun it will be, while others were whining and complaining saying it'll be hard to have a Sports Festival and then the next day managing a café for the Cultural Festival. I was just sitting there observing, but mostly bored as hell. All of a sudden I feel someone staring at me. I looked and caught Orihime looking at me with a blank face. She quickly smiled when she saw me looking at her and waved.

_*Weirdo*_ I thought as I forced a smile and waved back.

I looked away and I drifted away from reality.

_*It's been 3 days,*_ I thought resting my chin on top of my hand, _*Of course he wouldn't show himself to me after that argument.*_

His expressions were still fresh on my mind as he said those words after I said to him:

"_To me it sounds like you're saying it's nothing now"_

"_Maybe it is…" _

His expression were mixed: confusion, anger, and mostly sadness.

_*Maybe…it…is…*_ I thought, repeating it to myself also remembering how I felt that night: _Free…_

"Alright!" the class representative, Matsuri, yelled, snapping me back to reality as she took the teacher's spot, "As you all know, this year's Sport's Festival will consist of volleyball, basketball, baseball, and the big event would be the baton race."

She wrote down the four sports on the chalkboard as everyone stayed silent. She looked back and continued,

"Each sport will have representatives. Starting from volleyball, anyone want to start the nomination?"

So, the nomination began. It took a while for everyone to agree with the people assigned to a sport. Since each sport consisted of 5-10 people. Other names had to be written twice since our class only had 30 students. Finally, we reached the nomination for the main event, the baton race.

"Now," she said, "This particular sport will only need 4 participants, so let's start the nomination"

One hand was raised, "Izuru Mika-san"

Another joined in, " Matsumoto Shota"

Then Orihime raised her hand. "Schiffer Ulquiorra-kun"

Everybody turned to him. His face never changing by the attention everyone's giving him. Whispers began to fill the room.

"We'll definitely win for sure!" I heard someone say.

"Don't get your hopes up; he doesn't care." another person replied.

"Okay!" the Matsuri yelled, snapping everyone back to her attention, "We need one more representative."

One hand was raised, hesitantly as he said in an audible whisper, "Kuchiki Rukia-san"

I could feel my eyes widen as whispers began again. Everyone turned to look at me.

"Can she even run fast?" a girl asked.

"I don't know, judging from her height…" someone trailed off.

I could feel my brows narrow and my jaw instantly clenching.

_*Hell no…*_ I thought.

"Leave her alone" said a voice that belonged to Hitsugaya Toshirou.

A class prodigy even though he might not look like it he was two years younger than all of us. He also came from the same middle school as me though we didn't really talked to each other. The class turned quiet.

"I bet she could outrun all of you anytime and anyplace." he continued, sounding so sure.

I looked at him, completely awed. I don't know whether I should be thankful or get mad at him for putting pressure on me.

"So you guys should just shut the hell up and don't freaking…"

Except he didn't say the word _freaking_.

"…judge a person on how they look." he finished.

I don't know what just happened but I'm pretty sure that he just defended me. It felt like the time inside the classroom just stopped. Is he defending me because I look vulnerable? _Not even. _Or is it because I don't have a friend that will defend me? _I don't need one._ Or is it because we're both small, everyone thinking we can't do anything? _Maybe. _

"Aww, you're so nice, Toshi!" a girl with a blonde, orangish hair, Matsumoto Rangiku, said breaking the silence.

She reached out and ruffled his silver spiked hair.

"Stop touching me, Matsumoto!" Hitsugaya said as he slapped her hand away.

"Awww, you're no fun" she pouted as she sat back down.

"O-kay, now that we're done with the representatives" the student in the front said, "It's time to move to the Cultural Festival."

She wrote down the words next to the Sports Festival.

"This year we're doing a café and this year's theme will be…"

"MAFIA!" everybody screamed, joyfully.

"Yes," she replied as she wrote it down on the board, "We will need 4 guys and girls as waiters; let's start."

"Rukia-chan!" Matsumoto yelled happily.

I looked at her as if she was crazy, but she just turned around and winked.

"Hitsugaya-kun" a girl nominated.

"Schiffer-kun" Chizu said.

"Inoue-san" a guy with glasses said.

Finally, the voting ended for the waiters that included: Me, Ulquiorra, Hitsugaya, Inoue, some girl with braids, Miu, a guy with blonde hair, and this really tall guy name Sado. The class rep continued with the explanations and plans for this week.

"At the end of the café, we will have a little competition between the waiters on who looks like the best mafia couple, mix and match the girls and the guys. If you want, vote for the same gender."

Someone whistled.

_*Ughh…Are you freaking serious?* _I thought as I put my head down on my desk.

"What? Can't handle it?" Ulquiorra asked.

I put my head up slightly and glared at him. He just smirked.

"Two more things to go!"

Everybody groaned impatiently.

"First, you all know at the end of every Cultural Festival we will have fireworks and a bonfire dance _and_ the best part is, is that the class who gathers the most students wins a trip!"

Everybody's groans and bored expressions turned to cheers and happy faces.

"And finally," she sighed, "Two people will be in charge to buy the materials we will need, of course with the school's money. Okay.."

She dug her hand inside the box and read the two lucky names.

-_Two hours later_-

*_I am SO lucky…*_ I groaned inwardly.

I walked alongside Ulquiorra as we were about to enter the last store to buy fabrics and quilts for the café. I slowed down a bit to check if he knows I'm with him. He turned his head slightly and said,

"I thought Kuchiki-san could _out walk_ me?"

I felt my face heat up.

"Shut up!" I retorted as we walked in the store.

"What else do we need?" I asked as I looked at the list he was holding.

"We just need quilts for the table" he said as he began searching.

I looked around trying to look for the quilts when all of a sudden I saw something that caught my attention. Chappy the Rabbit! It's the very first design of it and I wanted it badly. I quickly grabbed it. Then all of a sudden I heard someone behind me cough. I looked back and saw Ulquiorra staring at the quilt with an unreadable expression. For the second time today I felt my face heat up.

"Um, you see, I was, um, planning…to buy it for…" I stopped.

_*Shit! How do I explain this?* _I thought as I shut my eyes._*Think!*_

I opened my eyes and smiled.

"For…Nel-chan! Yeah, that's right! Since she's a fan and all."

He nodded and said,

"Sure, no need to be defensive."

"I-I'm not!" I replied too quickly.

He turned around and headed towards the counter. I searched for my wallet and when I double checked, my wallet wasn't there.

"Fudge," I said out loud.

Ulquiorra turned to me and asked,

"Problem?"

I shook my head and said,

"N-Nothing, just forgot my wallet."

"Give it here then, I'll pay for it." he offered.

I shook my head again.

"Don't be stubborn, just give it here."

I narrowed my brows and bit my lip, hesitating.

"I'll tell her it came from the both of us."

"Fine, but I'll pay you back." I replied, giving him the precious quilt

He just shrugged as the lady rang our items. We walked outside, happily looking inside the plastic bag. All of a sudden, I feel Ulquiorra tense beside me. His body was stiff as he was staring somewhere. I was about to turn and see on what he was looking at but he grabbed my wrist and began running.

"W-Wait!" I called out, stumbling, but he just kept running.

*_What's wrong with him?* _I thought.

I was about to ask him out loud when he stopped making my face hit his back, hard.

"What the _fu_-" I began as I touched my face.

"Ahaha…where are you heading, Ulquiorra?" a familiar voice asked.

I removed my hand away from my face and saw Grimmjow grinning at us. Ulquiorra just looked at him, his face stoic as ever. He looked at me and said,

"See? I told you."

I raised my eyebrow, confused. He looked back at Ulquiorra and asked,

"Did I disturb your 'date'?"

*_What?*_ I thought.

"What makes you think that?" he replied with his monotone voice.

I saw him move his eyes towards our hand and wrist, his grin never leaving his face. I looked down and quickly yanked my hand back. He laughed and patted Ulquiorra's head.

"No need to be shy, brother."

"I'm not," he said menacingly, "Who would go out on a date with _her_?"

I gave him a hard glare while Grimmjow just laughed.

"Did you mean the opposite?" he countered, earning a glare from Ulquiorra, while I smirked.

"Ahhh, but then why'd you run?" he asked.

"Cause I knew either when I get home or right now when you see us, you would bother me about it, so I chose at home."

Grimmjow just shrugged letting it go and he looked at me and smiled widely.

"Rukia!" he practically yelled.

Startled by his outburst, I forced a smile back and nodded. He stood next to me, put his arm around my shoulders and tugged me forward.

"Since I still have time, how about we go eat?" he grinned and turned to Ulquiorra.

I also looked back and saw that he had an annoyed expression, but followed anyways. In the end, we ended up at an Italian restaurant. Grimmjow, I noticed, was very talkative and cocky. When he's not asking me questions, he would turn to Ulquiorra and annoy him. But other than that, he was very nice and friendly; the complete opposite of Ulquiorra.

"So, Rukia" Grimmjow started as we finish our food and I looked up.

"Do you have a boyfriend?" he asked casually.

All of a sudden, a smiling Ichigo came in my mind.

"_Had"_ I replied glumly and my face blank.

He raised his brows about to say something when his phone rang. I looked down as Grimmjow answered his phone. I could feel Ulquiorra staring at me so I looked up and saw his face. We locked eyes for a second. He knew something was up so I did my best and smiled. Grimmjow stood up all of a sudden and said,

"I'm sorry, but I have to go. You guys need a ride?"

Ulquiorra shook his head also standing up and I did too.

"Okay, I'll see you at home then." he said and flashed me an apologetic smile as he started to walk away.

"See you later, Rukia!" he waved and then he was gone.

"Ready to go?" Ulquiorra asked, but he was already walking.

We walked out in silence. I looked up to see the sun finally setting; the clouds covered with beautiful shades of orange and all of a sudden Ichigo's bright hair came in my head. I felt a lump in my throat starting to build up.

"It'll be fine," Ulquiorra said all of a sudden "Whatever the problem is you're going through, I know you could work it out."

He looked back at me, his expression soft.

"Yeah…" I replied softly, smiling a little.

We stopped in front of my house. I handed him the bag that had the Chappy quilt. He raised an eyebrow.

"I-It's for Nel" I said when he didn't take it.

_*Ahh…I'm gonna regret this later.* _I thought.

But then I looked at him and saw him smiling.

"W-What?" I asked, feeling blood rush to my cheeks.

"Keep it." he said.

"But-"

"I know you were going to buy that for yourself"

"No, I did-"

"Besides," he said cutting me off and walking away, "Nel's into toy cars and monsters, not rabbits."

He looked back once more and smirked.

"I knew that!" I yelled feeling embarrassed.

He just shook his head and continued to walk. Once he was gone I walked inside the house. It was dark and the only room that had light on was the kitchen.

_* Seems like Nii-sama isn't here yet…*_ I thought as I walked upstairs.

I stopped in front of my bedroom door, Ulquiorra's words lingering in my head:

"_It'll be fine…"_

I opened the door, heart beating, hoping he would be in there waiting for me. When it was opened, all I saw was my plain old room and my heart instantly dropped. I lay in my bed for a minute and look towards Kon, I took it and hugged it tight. Fresh tears had finally fallen from my eyes as sleep came over me.

* * *

**Done! Finally! I think this is one of my longest chapter. **_**EVER.**_** There you have it, like what I said I don't really like this chapter but its long o.O Weeirrddd. Buuuut, I hope you guys liked it!**

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